After poking his hand between the bars of a lion’s cage, a Jamaica Zookeeper had his finger bitten off. The terrifying moment when the man urgently tries to take his hand away from the lion while the animal continues to grip on has gone viral.
In front of about 15 people, an employee at Jamaica Zoo sticks his finger inside the chain-linked cage. As though he was playing with a cat, he tried to touch the lion. The zookeeper ignored the lion’s growls and continued to tease and play with him. However, seconds into the video, the lion struck the man’s finger and clamped its jaws around it.
The Jamaica Zookeeper Loses His Finger
Never seen such stupidity before in my life. pic.twitter.com/g95iFFgHkP
— Mo-Mo (@Morris_Monye) May 22, 2022
The man’s ring finger was completely damaged. An eyewitness told the Jamaica Observer that the zookeeper was showing off to bystanders before things went tragically wrong. However, she said that later everyone realized it was serious when the man dropped to the ground. The woman went on to say that the zookeeper’s skin was gone, as well as the first joint of his finger. Before leaving the zoo, the injured zookeeper apparently stood up and proceeded to a car. His facial expression was that of pain.
“When it happened, I thought it was a joke. I didn’t realise the seriousness of it, because it’s their job to put on a show.”
The woman eyewitness shares about the incident
Concerns about the lion’s care and treatment by the employees have arisen as a result of the occurrence. The incident will be examined, according to Pamela Lawson, managing director of the Jamaica Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals.
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Jamaica Zoo Talks About Taking Care Of All
Separately, Jamaica Zoo stated in a statement that the zoo is a safe environment for both people and animals. The activities seen in the video are those of a Jamaica Zoo contractor, according to the statement. The statement described the situation as unfortunate and added that the video does not represent the safety procedures and rules that must be followed at all times.
“It is an unfortunate event that should never have happened, and we – the family of Jamaica Zoo – are doing everything to assist the gentleman moving forward.”
An excerpt from teh zoo’s statement
The zoo is located in Lacovia, west of Santa Cruz, and has a variety of creatures like llamas, zebras, monkeys, crocodiles, and toucans.
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